Blue Eyes
by A Starr Is Reborn
Summary: It must have been a family thing, eyes so blue, so intense. Eyes that drew you in and just refused to let you go. Blue Eyes REPOST!
1. The Story So Far

**Hi hi hiiiii! I was asked to repost this series of one shots. And you know? I fucking loved writing these cuz I love kids and for whatever reason kids love me too. SO, without further ado, here is the reposting of Blue Eyes.**

* * *

It was seen as a miracle, to some. To others it was utter blasphemy.

The gates had been closed many years prior, and the only ones allowed in or out were the few trusted guards and particularly geriatric staff that the late King and Queen had, for whatever reason, decided could keep their jobs behind the walls. No natives nor foreigners were allowed into the castle past those that had already the approval of what had once been the most important people of the country, well, before they had passed at least. And as far as everyone else knew the princesses had yet to allow any other extra parties that same privilege allowed to so few.

So when, a few years before coronation, the next heir – following only after the soon-to-be Queen Elsa – was born quite suddenly and quite without the knowledge of the people of Arendelle, people were… undecided upon their feelings. On the one hand, a healthy young boy had been born into the royal family. Anna of Arendelle was an ecstatic mother and had proudly, happily introduced the new member of the family with Elsa by her side. People had gotten their first look at the girls since the funeral, and within a year of the loss.

It had also been the first time in eleven years the gates had been opened.

That had been two years ago. And they had yet to close the gates. Anna, so the rumor had it, had been particularly outspoken about closing the gates, denying that they should or would be closed; the few times the gate had closed (which had happened the day following the announcement of Anna's child and the few days following that), people had been shocked and pleased to see the fiery princess out and about, going around to personally introduce her child to every person she could.

That had been enough for some to decide the certainty of the adoration they held for the princess as well as her first born child. The child in question had eyes of blue, and soft curls of almost-blonde hair. If anything could compare, it would be Anna's hair, but still that wasn't even quite close to the color. It was paler than hers ever would be, but not quite reached the silvery blonde that the soon-to-be Queen sported. His eyes, too were caught somewhere between matching Anna's and matching Elsa's eyes. Everyone assumed that it ran in the family, those mesmerizing eyes, those eyes that drew you in and refused to let you go until you'd fallen absolutely in love with them. And once more, just gazing upon the smiling face of the princess as she held her truest treasure, just the sight of the sweet, sleeping bundle in her arms had been enough for many to think of the occasion as joyous, as a miracle.

Still, many called it blasphemy. And to her face. One particular man had taken a single look at the couple and had _spat_ at them. Well, at their feet, but he'd spat at them nonetheless. Cursed the child's existence, and cursed the harlot of a princess for allowing a man underneath her skirts and between her legs. _Like a common WHORE._ Those that had borne witness to the act of what many would call heinous disregard for one's own health, as well as utter disrespect for one of the kindest royals in the land had been shocked when the princess had only smiled kindly at the man and bowed her head to him, conceding. She told him that he was right. She told him that she was a monster and a whore, and the child, as much as she adored it, was a bastard. She told the man that he was absolutely right to spit on her for her crimes.

And then she'd told him that the child's name was Aren. She told him that she loved him with all her heart. She told him that she was gladly a harlot, happily a whore, and that had she the option, she would not have done a single thing different even had it meant that she could have lived her life without bearing this beautiful, wonderful boy. Because he _was_ beautiful. He _was_ wonderful. He was everything she could have ever asked for and everything she'd always wanted but never knew she needed. He was the proof of her love. And she would never regret him. Even if he came to think of her as a monster, a harlot, as the beast that she was she would never stop treasuring him.

The man had had nothing to say in response to the conviction in the princess's eyes, so he'd closed the door. Minutes later a frantic Elsa had appeared on the scene, calling for her sister, for the child. When she'd caught sight of them relief and pure fury had warred within her, relief only just winning as she'd rushed forward to gingerly embrace her sister, only just avoiding the docile, silent babe in her sister's arms. If the people had been shocked that day to see the ever-mysterious vision of beauty that was to one day be their Queen, they had been even more so to see her sob into her sister's shoulder out of pure fear for the child, for her sister.

It had been announced then, and very publicly between sobs from the eldest royal that the gates would remain open for as long as necessary or until forever came, so long as the younger princess would not leave her, would not run and hide from her with the baby. The people who'd witnessed this, too, found their hearts melted by the display of utter love and affection held for each other between princesses, the babe. And so for every bad word that could and would be uttered about the royal trio of Arendelle, a thousand good would follow. For the people, the vast majority of them, loved the royals almost as much as the royals loved each other.

But only _almost._

* * *

"What if I mess this up? What if they finally notice the similarities between Aren and I? What if they notice my frost? What if-" Arms encircled her waist, a warm body pressing into the back of her always-chilled one. A chin came to rest on her shoulder as those arms squeezed her tight, and a soft kiss was pressed against her jaw, her neck, her shoulder; the pattern of kisses repeated countless times until she'd allowed herself to relax, her breath and heart rate to calm. Her own hands came to rest over the ones on her abdomen. She squeezed them and let out a soft sigh. "Thank you."

"Of course," She could feel the smile against her skin in the next number of kisses layered over her shoulders. The chin moved from one shoulder to the next as the kisses traveled over the expanse of exposed flesh at the top of her spine. _She did love when Elsa wasn't wearing those suffocating, heavy dresses._ Her nightgowns were thinner, appealed more to that carnal beast inside her that craved to tongue the pale, unblemished flesh of her body. They left almost nothing to the imagination, not that she _needed_ to imagine what was underneath the slip; she'd seen it enough times, traced the tips of her fingers over every curve of that body for endless hours. "What would you do without me?"

"Cry endlessly for days on end," Anna let out a soft sigh of a laugh, smiling wider against Elsa's shoulder. "How could I possibly explain it to Aren? 'Sorry little man, but mother's disappeared.' The two of us would never stop crying!" Elsa turned in Anna's hold, allowing her cool forehead to press against Anna's. The warmth ever present in her body was intoxicating. She smiled softly, her expression mirroring her sister's own gentle grin.

"He's just like his mom that way," she teased, leaving a peck on Elsa's pouting mouth. "Entirely too obsessed with me." In response, Elsa moved forward, capturing Anna's mouth in a fierce kiss. Anna moaned into Elsa's mouth, her fingers tangling in the soft blonde locks as she pulled Elsa impossibly closer to her. "That's what I mean," she panted as Elsa drew back and let her lips trail down the redhead's throat, biting and sucking at that _one_ spot that made her gasp breathlessly. " _Obseeeessed!_ " She giggled when a soft knock sounded on the door, knowing without having to guess who would be waiting for one of them to answer. Elsa's soul-suffering groan only furthered her amusement as she untangled herself from the blonde. The elder whined pitifully and followed close behind her, fingers twisting into the back of Anna's nightgown, tugging in an almost pleading manner. _Please don't open the door, don't you dare._

But she did, and on the other side was the light of Anna's life; the sun that shone in the sky could not fill her with warmth like this beautiful person could. She smiled widely, and without having to say anything he opened his arms and smiled up at her. She giggled in response and swooped down, scooping him up into her arms. He giggled softly, wrapping his arms as best he could around her neck as she settled him on her hip and closed the door, stepping back into the room. She turned, with a smile, so that he could see Elsa and his eyes lit up.

"Mom!" he squealed softly, reaching out for her then and Anna laughed as she handed the small boy off to the still pouting – if less so – blonde. It only took a moment of holding her child in her arms for a smile to quirk at her lips. Anna couldn't help her own grin. _Something about seeing the mother of her child holding their baby was so appealing to her._

"Can't sleep little man?" Anna cooed as she stepped closer to her two favorite people, running her fingers through the downy-soft hair topping her child's head. It was starting to get long, shaggy. _Just like his mom._ The older he got she would _swear_ the lighter his hair was getting. Still not quite that pale blonde his mom wore so well, but next to the two of them her hair was particularly red looking. _It wasn't even THAT red…_ Just a stronger reddish hue than she would have liked to admit. Aren turned those eyes on her she could never get used to, those big blues of his that stole her breath away every time she gazed into them, and shook his head.

"Too ec-.. escited!" he stumbled over the words he didn't know nearly well enough, but she smiled and giggled, stepping closer still so she was cradling his head against her chest while Elsa continued to hold him close to hers. She continued to run her fingers through his hair, knowing how it soothed him. Soon he was reaching for his mother and once more Anna opened her arms to the boy, taking him in to her warmth. If there was one thing he'd inherited from his mom, it was the perpetual chill. She theorized that the cold hardly bothered him, much like it hardly (read, _never_ ) bothered his mom, but she also knew that he adored her just as much as his mom adored her. And mostly for her heat, the two had admitted to her on separate occasions.

"Well, tomorrow is a big day, huh? Momma's gonna be named Queen and you'll get to meet everyone in the kingdom!" Anna giggled at the ecstatic look that spread over his lightly-freckled face, rubbing noses with him. He squealed with laughter and pushed at her face, fingers tipped with frost.

"Quit it, mother!" Despite his protests, he was smiling and Elsa found herself smiling as well as she watched them. Hearing her soft chuckles, he looked back to his mom, smiling wider to know that he had made her happy. She seemed constantly worried about something, and since he'd come to know of the approaching coronation he sensed that she was afraid of becoming Queen. Even now that she was smiling he could still see _it_ in her eyes. He had taken after both of his mothers in regards to reading people expertly and being able to bring them out of any funk they might find themselves in. Highly intelligent, sweet to a fault and surprisingly well-behaved – _considering that Anna was his mother_ – he was absolutely perfect in every way imaginable. At least in Anna and Elsa's eyes. "You'll be fine, Momma. You'll be the bestest Queen EVER!" Elsa blinked in shock, her smile dwindling for a moment before it stretched back over her features, twice as wide.

"Thank you, Aren," She leaned over to let a kiss upon his head, smiling against the soft curls.

"See, Elsa? It can't be a lie if it's from the mouth of a child, especially _ours_." The word brought a warmth suffusing her cheeks and that already wide smile just grew.

"How true, the words you speak. Why I question you is beyond me," Anna nodded along with the assessment, expression utterly serious. The smile tugging mercilessly at her lips belied that, however.

"Indeed, I'm inclined to agree with you. My knowledge is vast and my wisdoms endless. Isn't that right, Aren?" Aren, though not quite sure exactly what his parents were continuing on about – he was intelligent, yes, but he _was_ just turning three and his attention span was short – seemed taken by the serious expressions on both of their faces, so he mimicked them, nodding his agreement when they both turned to him for confirmation. Still confused, he even began to laugh when his mothers burst into a bout of laughter. _His moms could be SO weird like that._ But he loved them anyway, dare he think it, _especially_ because they were weird.

"We should retire to bed," Elsa spoke suddenly, a few moments after they'd calmed themselves. She'd taken to lovingly stroking Aren's hair, much the same as Anna had been doing before, and the action seemed to be lulling him to sleep. He let out a soft whimper of protest, but it was weak. For he _was_ tired, but denied it simply so he might have a bit more time with his mothers. "After all, tomorrow _is_ such a big day. We'll need plenty of rest to be our best!" As if on cue, both Anna and Aren's mouths cracked open in wide, tired yawns. Still in synch, they reached up – with the _same_ hand – to rub at their eyes. Chuckling at the sight of the too-alike pair, she leaned down to kiss both their cheeks and then grabbed Anna's hand, leading her (and by default, the child in her arms) to their shared bed. She left Anna and Aren on one side, moving over to the other and pulling back the gold, blue and purple colored comforter with Anna's help on the opposite side.

Anna set Aren down on the bed and he crawled to his favorite spot in the direct center, tiredly patting the cool sheets on either side of him to signal that his mothers should settle next to him. As they climbed in and moved closer to him, he shifted up so his head was just resting on the edge of a pillow, but as the comforter was pulled up he curled into himself and his head left the pillow. Anna grinned in a way that squinted her eyes and set her cheeks to aching, knowing that by morning his head would be on her chest and Elsa's would be on her stomach, an arm slung low on her hips. They'd played out this particular scene enough times for it to become impossibly familiar to her, down to the way that both of their eyes would flutter open in the morning and that same dazed grin would split their faces as they leaned up to layer sloppy, sleepy kisses on her cheek.

 _Not that she'd ever complain_ , after all, waking up with her two favorite people in the world curled around her body had long ago become the best thing about being her. Already, as Elsa blew an icy breath across the room to extinguish the few candles that had been giving them light, she could feel Aren shifting closer, one tiny fist closing around a bit of her nightgown. She smiled into the pillow she buried her face into, _smelling of Elsa_ , as she whispered one last _I love you_ to the cool night air, falling asleep soon after the phrase was echoed sleepily back at her.

* * *

Anna had, over the few years she'd been a mother, gotten into the habit of waking throughout the night unless she had her child and her lover especially close to her. Because Aren was like Elsa had been as a babe – or so the rather elderly staff liked to tell her – and liked to remain quiet, instead of screaming and wailing into the night as _she_ had been wont to do, it was almost always unnecessary for her to wake up and check on him. But she always did. To make sure that he was still sleeping, to prove to herself that it hadn't all been a dream and she really _had_ given birth to the most beautiful thing on this earth, to just watch him sleep. One thing that she couldn't help since becoming a mother was waking with the sun, even before it had the chance to make it past the tallest mountain's peak, she was awake and checking on her two loves. This morning was no different, and with hardly any light filtering in to the room she woke and found herself in the exact predicament she'd predicted the night previously.

Smiling and trying to resist the urge to chuckle – lest the movements jar her little prince or her dearest snow queen – as she found those two pale, peacefully sleeping faces snuggled into various parts of her torso. Aren's face was, of course, buried into her chest, fingers curled around a bit of her nightgown and drool she found she could never mind staining a bit of the fabric. His bedhead had most certainly taken after hers, tufts of his hair sticking up wildly in all directions as if he'd been struck by lightning. Elsa's hair only just managed to fair better, only a few locks awkwardly jutting out of place as she nuzzled her face deeper into the softest part of Anna's belly. One arm was, of course, wrapped loosely around Anna's waist, her cool fingers pressing into Anna's side, while the other one had somehow managed to end up almost around Aren's shoulders, completing the circle of love Anna found herself the exclusive, honored guest to, almost every night of the week.

She couldn't have known how long she laid there, simply staring at her joys of life, before the sun rose enough to finally start illuminating the room. But by the time a sharp spike of light fell softly over the trio her babies started stirring. With soft yawns and lazy smiles, she was greeted in unison with a regular morning cry:

"G'mornin' mother."

"G'mornin' beautiful."

Following Elsa crawling up her body, she was next greeted with two of the sweetest, sloppiest kisses she could ever hope to be graced with for every morning of the rest of her life. Giggling softly and reaching over to ruffle and run her fingers through their hair, she was met with two soft, satisfied hums of content as Elsa managed to shuffle to the other side of Anna's body and settle down with her face buried into Anna's neck while Aren settled back in the valley between her petite breasts. Both of their arms were wrapped around her as best they could be, and she giggled, allowing them to settle down for a few more moments of uninterrupted rest… Or, until a knocking sounded out against the door. Giggling when her ears were blessed with the sounds of twin groans of disapproval, she called out a greeting to the man she knew stood behind the door.

"Good morning, Kai! I swear to you that I shall have the two of them up and ready as quickly as I can," A soft, muffled chuckle sounded out from the other side of the door, and she could easily imagine the slight dip of his head and smile curling at his lips as he answered,

"Of course, my lady." His footsteps retreated down the hall and she quirked a brow, looking down to the two royals trying to drown out the world in her body.

"Well, go on, get up you two!" Those same groans sang out, vibrating against her flesh and she laughed once more. Finally, taking absolutely _no_ pity on the two of them, she sat up abruptly and let them fall from her body, rolling out of bed so she could rip the sheets from their bodies before either of them had the chance to curl up with each other. Whines of protest were the next things she heard, and it was music to her ears, sweeter than the birdsong outside the window. "UP AND AT 'EM!" She clapped, grinning widely. "We've got a big, big, BIG day ahead of us and it won't wait for you two lazy bums to wake up!"

"As my first act of Queen of Arendelle, I put forth that no day shall officially start until noon," Elsa yawned as she sat up in bed, stretching her arms above her head until she heard the satisfying _pop._ With a soft sigh of content and another tired yawn, she looked over to the young child trying to rub sleep from his big blues. With a smile, she leaned over and left a sloppy kiss – though this was less sloppy than the one they always greeted Anna with – on his cheek, causing him to let out a soft, disgusted noise as he tried to shift away. But he was too close to the far edge of the bed and ended up toppling over the side. Anna gasped and flew into a flurry of motion and emotion, quickly running to his side and checking to make sure he was well while Elsa just laughed and peeked her head over the side of the bed.

"'m fine, mother!" he complained as Anna checked him over. He stuck his tongue out at his mom when he caught sight of her amused face. She returned the sentiment. Anna growled when she caught the expression though, immediately shooting up from her sitting position and, despite her shorter stature, towered over the blonde woman smiling nervously up at her.

"Uhhh, it was an accident!" Elsa squeaked, covered her head with her hands in defense from the onslaught of pure malice about to be dropped upon her.

"MOTHER!" The louder whine brought Anna's attention back to the pouting blonde-ish boy, he rolled his eyes at his mothers antics, gesturing grandly to himself as he stated once more, with conviction, "I'm FINE." She shot one more warning glance Elsa's way before she scooped him into her arms and began to tickle his tummy.

"If you say so!" she sang over the screaming laughter issuing from his body as she danced over to the door. She whipped it open, giggling along with him as she moved down the hall to his room and stepped inside, ready to help him get dressed for this biggest of days, this most special of occasions. Elsa set about preparing for the day ahead, and immediately made her way to the bathroom for a long, hot soak. _And maybe if she took long enough, Anna would deign to join her…_ But, before too long the hot water had leeched the chill from her skin and she found, sadly, that she was entirely too warm. With a frown and a sigh, she stepped out of the tub, walking nude back into her room and looking around. Anna was absent, and the dress that had been laid out for the princess was gone. _Little sneak._ Of course she'd predicated that, had the eldest royal gotten her naked and alone in the tub, she wouldn't have let her go until there was the threat they'd be late for the ceremony that would name her as the rightful, ruling Queen.

Sometimes it _was_ unfortunate that Anna knew her so well. And sadly fortunate. With a huff of irritation, a smile the denied any true anger she might hold for her dear Anna, she set about preparing for the big day ahead.

* * *

"Mother!" Aren whined as Anna tugged him along the streets, cutting through the crowd easily. Some of them parted for her, knowing who she was due to her times she'd spent outside the castle with the boy she was doubled over for and tugging along the cobbled walkways. Others recognized her for the quality of the dress she wore. For only a noble could afford such a piece. Still others only noticed the boy she pulled along, the strange otherworldly beauty that he seemed to have inherited from the soon-to-be Queen. Once more the question ran through their minds if this was to be something that ran in the family, much like those eyes that refused to let you go. Regardless, they navigated through the crowds easily, and Anna laughed delightedly to show her son all the preparations that had been made for this day, in honor of his mom. Soon he even stopped whining about how embarrassing she was being, caught up in the colors of flowers and the ribbons strewn everywhere. Laughing along with her, he soon pulled ahead, started whining at _her_ to hurry up.

She smiled widely at his excitement and allowed him to pull her along, gripping tightly onto his hand when she felt him starting to slip away from her. Somehow, he _still_ managed to pull out of her grip though when two people slammed into her side, jarring her. She tripped and fell, immediately getting swarmed by the plump man that'd accidentally knocked her over, asking repeatedly for forgiveness and if she was okay. Though she accepted the hand he held out to her, helping her up, she waved off his concerns, assuring him that she was fine; she was smiling too widely, trying to not let him know how distraught she was as she frantically began to search for her son. _Oh no, please no, not today, today of all days WHY-_

"AAAAAAAH!" Eyes snapping wide open, she pushed past the still spluttering man, shoving anyone and everyone out of her way as she bolted straight for the source of the high-pitched scream that she _knew_ was her baby boy.

"AREN! AREN WHERE ARE YOU SWEETY?" Abandoning all semblance of grace she hiked up her dress and ran around, screaming, until she heard him respond for her.

" _MOMMY!_ " She cut through an alleyway, coming out by the docks were her child was… _dripping wet_ , standing in front of a man whose back was to her. He looked absolutely terrified, and was _shivering_ like he never did. He inherited Elsa's powers, but his temperature control wasn't quite as excellent as hers, as evidenced by the icicle beginning to form from his ear, the tips of his hair which she noticed had begun to freeze. He was absolutely frightened. Frozen with fear as the red-headed man reached forward to… to do _something_ that he would never know. Before he could blink, and just as his mouth opened so he could let out another screech of terror, the man's hand was seized in a vice-tight grip. "M-m-m-mo-moth-…" His relief was palpable, much like her fury.

The expression that twisted her face was demonic, and the man that turned now-fearful green eyes over his shoulder would swear he felt his soul retreat from his body for a moment before her twisting the bones in his hand painfully brought him back to the world of the living. He let out a short, sharp cry of pain and tried to pull his hand away but her grip only tightened.

"What. Did you do. To my SON?!" she demanded in nothing short of a hissing, spitting growl of hatred. Aren dodged around the man, diving for his mother's legs and retreating behind her, peeking out around the skirt of her dress, watching as the man stuttered and spluttered and tried to find a reason why his mother shouldn't execute him.

"W-why I, tha-that is to say, I- err, you look r-rather _young_ to be a mother!" the man finally managed to spit out, only to let out another low groan of pain when she ground the bones in his hand against each other.

" _Regardless_ , I AM his mother. And he _IS_ distressed, so why don't you leave the flattery for someone who-" She leaned closer to him, speaking in a whisper to save Aren's young ears from her next words. " _Gives a flying FUCK_ , and tell me EXACTLY what you did to my child!?"

"M-m-my horse!" he squeaked, trembling. "He ran i-in front of my horse and I didn't see him until he was al-already falling into the fjord!" She finally let go of his hand once he finished; immediately he held it to his chest, trying to nurse the pain away, relieved that she was done. But she wasn't. Before the relief could fully settle in she grabbed his shoulder and spun him around and gripped the lapels of his creamy-white coat and, with a strength he would have thought impossible with her slight frame, lifted him from the ground.

"YOU ALMOST TRAMPLED MY SON WITH YOUR _HORSE!_ " she screamed in his face as she shook him harshly, his head whipping back and forth, an instant headache taking hold of him. _This was how he would die, he was sure of it._ But then the gods smiled upon him, _the boy spoke up._

"M-mother?" The shaking stopped, he got a grip on his stomach, tried to get a grasp on his thoughts. He was unceremoniously dumped on the ground as the young woman turned to face the boy that had, until that point, been cowering behind his mother while she raged.

"Yes, my sweet prince?" She pulled him to her and began to run the fingers of one hand through his drenched hair, wrapping the other arm securely around his body in an attempt to share some warmth. He sniffled against her breast, tiny hands fisting the material of her dress as he tried to nuzzle closer, absorb more warmth from her.

"I w-wanna go h-h-home," His teeth were chattering so hard it made _her_ teeth hurt. With a soft smile, a murmured _Of course, little prince_ , she gathered him into her arms and stood. Casting one last glare over her shoulder at the man still attempting to recover from her rage, she strode off back towards the castle, just as the bells started sounding.

"W-why… why do I feel as though I've made a grave mistake?"

* * *

The ceremony began half an hour past it's designated time. The priest had been getting antsy, a low murmur had started up among the gathered royals as they all wondered and speculated where the almost-Queen could possibly be. When she arrived, she was wearing what Anna would swear to be the most serene smile she'd ever seen. _It did amaze her how quickly Elsa could adapt that queenly aura._ She was utterly proud of her love for it, for being able to do this and she hoped her own wide – and not quite _serene_ to be certain – smile said as much. She followed behind her sister, Aren's hand firmly clutched in hers. There was no chance he might pull away now; he was still afraid of what might happen if he did.

He stayed close by his mother's side, looking around interestedly at all the people he'd never seen before, all the people from across the seas. He had an almost unnatural love of water, Anna had discovered, which had probably also lead to his little dip in the fjord earlier. She'd gotten the full story from him and though she'd discovered that the man she'd initially attempted to destroy hadn't necessarily been at fault, she was still… a bit _testy_ about the subject. She was only so lucky that Aren's powers hadn't reacted with his emotions otherwise she might have just _had_ to kill the stranger. They'd managed so far to keep Elsa's abilities under wrap, so outing her son just seemed like an unpleasant experience for all parties involved.

Her smile and resolve to make the rest of this day better than it was already going was severely tested when she caught sight of the man. _The_ man. The one from earlier that had, if accidentally, knocked her son into the fjord. His face fell instantly, mouth dropping open in shock while his already pale skin turned pasty white as soon as his eyes caught upon hers. Quickly, he looked between her and the Queen ( _almost_ Queen) and somehow his expression managed to become even more panicked than it already was. But some part of her was pleased with the reaction, knowing that her son would be further safe from the likes of _him_ was a relief. The smile she gave him when at last he deemed it well and important enough to look back at her was anything but serene, and far from proud. It leaned more towards being predatory. It was a warning. He swallowed thickly and turned from her, back ramrod straight as he faced forward, hardly daring to blink or take too-deep a breath.

He was resolute in not looking her in the face, despite how hard she glared at him. And she knew she was receiving some looks herself for the way she was acting… but in all fairness, she did not give a single _damn_ what anyone might think, this man needed to _pay._ Even if she wasn't about to get her hands sullied with the paying.

" _Mother!_ " Aren whispered as loudly as he dared, trying to get his mother's attention. He'd caught on to what she was doing when he'd tried smiling up at her, feeling that pride for knowing _his_ mom was becoming the official Queen of ALL of Arendelle and saw instead of that smile she'd been wearing before, a mean glare which he traced back to the man that had fished him out of the fjord. _Even if he HADN'T been very nice about it._

" _Hold on, baby. Mother's staking her claim on this land…_ " He tugged at her dress sharply, drawing her eyes to his. He nodded towards where his mom stood before the priest, facing the people in the room and Anna finally forced her eyes to the blonde, the devilishness slipping from the smile that curled at her lips.

"-Queen Elsa, of Arendelle!" Those assembled started clapping politely, a low murmur of a cheer rising up in the back and working its way forward. Anna, the bad influence she would admit to being at times, encouraged Aren to whoop and holler with her. He did, of course, and she matched his volume, easily going louder than his young lungs could; she was getting a sly glare from Elsa ( _she was embarrassed_ ) but Anna only smiled in return and continued on, garnering the attentions of those closest to her. They chuckled to see the young princess so excited for her sister, adoring the sight of the child at her hip just as excited.

" _You two are incorrigible,_ " Elsa hissed, though she did leave a quick kiss on Anna's cheek, bending to ruffle Aren's hair as she passed. Both of them giggled and nodded excitedly, only Anna sending a wink her way.

"Of course, sister _dear_ ," she purred, smirking. Elsa ignored the way Anna was acting – and _in PUBLIC_ – and rolled her eyes, huffing shortly and waving the shorter girl off as she walked away and Aren pulled away to run after her, taking her hand now. She smiled down at him, missing the way Anna pouted after them. "Well YOU'RE no fun!" she called, loudly, after the two. A laugh was her only response. Before she could start after the two, smiling to herself, someone stepped in front of her, drawing her up short. It was… _him._ She let out a low, displeased hiss and allowed a glare to overtake her facial features. "What do _you_ want?"

"I-I just wanted the chance to apologize once more to you, _your majest-_ "

"Okay, stop," Anna held up a hand, shoving it in his face and causing him to stumble back. "First off, how _dare_ you try to offer apologies to ME when it was my _CHILD_ that you pushed into the fjord!"

"I-I didn't mean anything by-"

"Secondly, the fact that I am royalty should in no way effect how SORRY you are, and the fact that it took you seeing me with the Queen to ACTUALLY, genuinely care? I should banish you from this realm for such a slight," Some part of her – and by _some_ , she meant _most_ – really enjoyed watching his skin change shades like that. Red, purple, white, green. It was like a rainbow, watching the emotions play over his face. She smirked when he dropped to the floor, head pressed against the plush rug decorating it. He ignored the other royals slowly filing out, watching on with raised brows and curious expressions. She waved them off before they could question the scene, and though many hesitated, the whole of them seemed content to shrug and move on. "THIRDLY, if you don't want an all-out war with your country, err…"

"Prince Hans, of the Southern Isles!"

"Yeah, whatever; IF YOU DON'T WANT AN ALL-OUT WAR, you will… kiss my shoe-NO WAIT," She drew back as his hands reached for the hem of her long skirt to lift it enough to get at her shoe. _He was seriously willing to do this?_ What kind of princes did the Southern Isles make? This was absolutely pathetic! "I wouldn't want your saliva to sully my fine footwear." She lifted her leg enough to allow the skirt to slide back past her ankle, smiling to herself as she admired the heels. They were rather nice, she knew just how Elsa's mouth would water when she strutted around in _just_ the heels as well, which easily made them her favorite. When she found her eyes drawn back to the red-haired man – _Hans, was it?_ – she found that his face had taken on a rather unattractive shade of puce, and he was staring… up… her… "YOU PERVERT!"

Hans quickly became acquainted with how sharp the ends of the shoes were, and also how unforgiving the pews could be when the back of one's head was driven into them with enough force to stun an elephant. Stomping off, fuming and cursing under her breath, Anna only just managed to not _spit_ upon the _hopefully_ dead man. _She hoped to NEVER see his face again, or so help her…_


	2. And So It Began

It'd started innocently enough. It'd started _completely_ innocently, in fact. They were sisters, Elsa was the eldest and she had those _crazy_ cool powers and Anna was always so fascinated and Elsa, for the life of her, couldn't help the way she felt so damned _proud_ every time that Anna's eyes would go so wide and her whole face would just _light up_ with joy and wonder and… Elsa was shy, by nature, but Anna just brought out a completely new side of herself that she could have never known existed if her parents hadn't had her. She loved Anna, immensely. With every ounce of her being, the gravity of her affections weighed on her soul and she could never have loved carrying something so much more than she did those intense feelings. She just wanted to make Anna happy, keep her from harm and just… she just wanted to hear that little _giggle_ of hers every day; she wanted to see the way Anna's eyes shone whenever she would smile at her.

They shared the same room, and they'd spend too many nights in a row staying up _well_ past their bedtime, playing by the light of the sky. Which was the very reason they'd be awake because, as Anna liked to tell her every eve that they'd be staying up, "The _sky's_ awake, so _I'm_ awake, so we have to _play._ " Elsa would always pretend she was dead asleep, but she'd grown accustomed to waking up periodically, and if light was spilling across the floor and at the foot of her bed, she would always close her eyes and wait until she heard the rustle of bed fabrics. Followed by the soft padding of bare feet over carpet. And then that hissing whisper of her name before Anna would crawl into her bed. She could never be utterly certain how she always managed to operate on such little sleep as they both got, but she, _they_ , did. And it was odd to her in a way how after they'd been separated… she could hardly ever sleep.

She had more time to rest, more hours to close her eyes and succumb to the whims of her dreamland, but… she wouldn't. She'd lie alone. In her cold bed. In her freezing room. Feeling not quite the chill of the low temperature of the air that always surrounded her, but instead the icy cold of loneliness creeping into her heart. Settling in her soul. There was a new weight that pressed down on her, a weight greater than that love she shared for her dearest sister; a weight she did not enjoy shouldering, could hardly stand to put up with but for those times when she'd catch glimpses of Anna's hair. _The strand._

A sickness would curl inside of her, festering and rotting. It burned like fire in her veins, it was something she came to know well, something that made her weak with disgust. _Self-loathing._ She'd lasted not a month when one of those nights, one of those night where she lay in bed and stare at the ceiling, air puffing out in clouds of vapor that would disappear into the air above her face, one of those rare nights happened. A few times before, Anna would venture to her door, knocking softly yet urgently, whispering through the keyhole, " _Elsa!_ The _sky's_ awake…!" And she would step from her bed to move closer to the door, press her ear to it and listen to the muffled sound of her sister's excited breaths as she predicted that _this time_ , this time would be different; this time Elsa would remember what that meant, not just to her but to their whole dynamic, this sisterly relationship. _It was time for their nightly playtime._ Those sneaky instances they'd always treasured so.

But _this time_ never came… Until that one night. That one night when it was different. That one night when complete darkness overcame the room. As if the sky protested this night, it refused to light up with color; but still a knock came and still she rose obediently from bed and stepped over to the cool, painted wood. But _this time_ , this time panned out differently from all the others, instead of the excited whispering, that almost-panting of a completely wound-up and too-exhilarated Anna, she heard… silence. _Well, almost._ There was a sniffle, just one, but it was enough to be a veritable sledge hammer to the chest for the blonde princess. That one little, tiny, insignificant sniffle was enough for her mind to flood with images of Anna in tears, and she could only assume… she could really only come to the conclusion that it was _her_ fault.

Because really, who else could be to blame for this? Who else had done anything in the last months to hurt Anna except for _her?_ She was the worst sister ever. Literally, she was a horrible creature and she deserved to die in a fire. A fire she couldn't freeze, couldn't escape from. It would still probably manage to feel better than that _one_ little sniffle made her feel. And then Anna, in that sweet, bird-song voice of hers, began to speak through the door.

"E-Elsa…? I umm… I'm sorry to bother you but…" Another sniffle, slightly louder, and then a muffled sob, as if she'd buried her face in her hands or… or something like that, Elsa didn't know, wouldn't let her mind imagine because then those conjured images would be branded into the back of her lids and she would only hate herself more. And the temperature was already dropping significantly. She didn't need frost to creep past the threshold of the door. " _Ihadanightmare._ A-and I don't know wh-who to go to, 'cause m-mama and papa are sleeping and-…"

Silence once more. Elsa held her breath, ear pressed tightly to the door, hoping she might hear something else. _Still, silent, cold._ She swallowed, hands shaking as they reached for the knob, when the whispers started up, even softer. She pressed her ear tighter to the door.

"I couldn't catch you. N-no matter how fast I ran y-you just…" She was crying harder. The doorknob was frozen solid. " _I-I'm s-s-sorry, fo-for whatever I di-did that m-m-made you so angry with me!_ " The door swung open, and the young red-head was suddenly wrapped in the cool, comforting touch of her elder sister's arms. Her crying stuttered to a stop, shock gripping her and it was a few long minutes before she could make out the fact that she was shaking because her sister was the one crying now. Holding her and crying. _Was this even real?_ "Elsa?" she dared to whisper quietly, tears beginning to sting back at her eyes once more. _This was real, wasn't it?_

" _I'm so sorry Anna,_ " Elsa whispered, over and over again. She was shaking, rocking them back and forth, tears soaking into the soft cloth of Anna's nightgown. " _I'm so sorry._ "

* * *

" _Elsa?_ " Anna hissed lowly. _No response._ Glancing around nervously, she hesitated before she raised her hand, fingers curled into a fist, and rapped on the door with her knuckles. Five times, the routine pattern of knocks. Even before the last knock could finish, the door swung open and Anna almost managed to knock Elsa in the nose. The blonde was smiling though, widely, happily. As if she couldn't care less that Anna had very nearly injured her. And honestly… she really wouldn't have. Ever since they'd started to secretly visit each other in the night, she could suddenly sleep again so that she was refreshed and ready for her lessons every day; her control over her powers had skyrocketed, right through the roof, to the point where she was starting to take her gloves off at times.

She still kept in mind that mantra her father had started, _don't feel, conceal_ – so she was trying to not feel guilty about concealing from him, and from their mother and teachers and servants, the fact that she and Anna had been sneaking around at night for months. But… but she simply couldn't _help_ it. She had been going insane otherwise and seeing Anna, at least even a little bit, made having to deny her still-daily visits that much easier. She'd tried to explain to Anna that they just _couldn't_ see each other outside of the secret nighttime sneakery, and although Anna still didn't understand she was at least willing to keep visiting her most nights of the week. Other nights, those nights Anna wasn't so willing to visit, those were the nights that Elsa would sneak out to see her.

Sometimes they wouldn't even really do anything; they wouldn't play or talk, they'd just lay in bed with each other, sharing warmth and company, happy just to be near the other. But every night they had to return to their separate rooms, to their separate beds and that was probably the worst part of the night. At least for Elsa it was. Having her sister there, that smile and those bright eyes and just _her_ , it was so _amazing._ She felt the best, the happiest in those moments and every night she had to end them and…

"Elsa?" Anna whispered again, and the blonde snapped to attention, reaching forward and grabbing Anna's hand, yanking her into the room. Anna yelped as loudly as she dared, giggling lowly when Elsa shut the door behind them and shushed her. She returned the gesture and soon the both of them were giggling and laughing at the other. When it stopped, Elsa found herself just… just smiling. Stupidly, dopily, and utter happily smiling at her little sister. Without pausing to think about or question the urge, she leaned forward and pulled Anna into a hug, sighing into the fragrant strands of fiery-red hair.

" _I love you, Anna_ ," she whispered softly. She didn't say it, not nearly often enough and she recognized that, because Anna would tell her those same words most nights. And she would usually just content the girl with a soft smile and a nod in return because… because some part of her was afraid to say it at times. She wasn't sure why, but she choked on the words when she was staring at Anna just before they would separate until the next eve. They words throttled her throat, would not allow her to make a single sound. _And then other times…_ other times it just came so _easily_ to her. She could just say it and it was as easy as breathing, as making snow and ice cover her room in the chill of winter's heart.

Anna remained quiet for a moment, savoring the words and the embrace of the elder girl, slowly wrapping her arms around the blonde in return. She smiled against the bit of cloth her face was pressed into, widely.

"I love you too, Elsa," she called back, louder than Elsa would ever dare. She _did_ wish that Elsa might tell her that in return more often than she did but… at the same time, the fact that Elsa treasured the words so – enough that she would only just utter them every once in a while and _only_ ever to her – made it more special. It meant something more than when anyone else, _even her PARENTS_ , said it. Drawing back, she broke the intimacy of the moment when she grinned widely and giggled. "So what's the plan for the night?" That seemed to distract Elsa from the previous seriousness they'd shared and she hesitated, before a small smile quirked at her lips.

"How about… a walk in the gardens?" Anna gasped, mouth dropping open in shock before the idea of it sunk into her brain. _This would be their first time spending time together outside the privacy of either of their chambers…_ The thrill of it, the thought perhaps they might even get _caught_ , made it all the more exciting and she just hardly hesitated before nodding vigorously. Giggling, the both of them still felt the need to shush each other as they exited the room and started creeping through the halls, peeking around dark corners and trying to hold in the urge to run for the nearest door that would take them outside. Elsa wanted this night to last as long as possible; she wanted _every_ night to last as long as possible but that was beside the point.

" _Slow DOWN!_ " Anna hissed, though she was smiling and Elsa didn't need to look back to know that she was. Giggling lowly once more, she tossed her own smile over her shoulder, assuring the red-head,

" _We're almost there_ ," Anna sighed, pouting at the girl but she nodded anyway. Elsa paused at the last corner, casting her gaze every which way before she darted to the doors that lead into one of their larger ballrooms; there were doors on the far end of the ballroom that lead directly into the gardens. The guards didn't usually come to this particular spot, so Elsa had been investigating for a few weeks – at least, not for another few hours or so, so she knew that they would have _plenty_ of time to play hide-and-seek, or-or pretend. Anna liked to make up stories for them, she had an imagination like that. Lately, she'd gotten partial to some damsel-in-distress game. Anna would be the damsel, and Elsa would always _have_ to be the brave prince that swooped in and saved her from almost certain peril.

Elsa wanted to make the setting appropriate, so she explained to Anna as they reached the doors and Elsa reached up, unlocking one as quietly as she possibly could and pushing the door open. She stuck her head out, glancing around _just_ to make certain that absolutely no one was out here – though, for the life of her she could not imagine why anyone _would_ be – before she turned back to Anna with a silly grin and motioned for her to cross the threshold into their new playground. Anna did, and for the first time in months ( _nearly half a year, she'd be willing to bet_ ) she got to breath in the scent of the crisp, fresh air of the gardens with her sister by her side.

"I missed this," She didn't bother whispering now, feeling safer outside of those dark, echoing halls. Those lonely, long halls that seemed to scream silence in her face, and at times she would swear they went on forever. A maze, a labyrinth that she was cursed to walk always alone in the light of day. She turned a solemn look on her elder sister, continued, "I miss us." Elsa offered what she thought might be a smile. It was a frown. It was full of apologies that would never be enough.

"I know, Anna," she sighed after a moment, in which Anna just stared impassively back at her. "I miss us too."

"Maybe one day…" Anna didn't finish the thought, and in the next moment she began going in to a detailed description of the night's new tale of adventure. _Elsa was the prince this time too._

* * *

It had all started out innocently enough. As those sorts of things always do. Nights stolen, fun had by the light of the moon and the colors dancing over the wide expanse of the evening-darkened sky. They played games. Pretend, hide-and-seek. They'd play together with their dolls – once more Anna would come up with a storyline and Elsa would gladly play along in whatever manner Anna wished – and sometimes they'd just lay with each other. But somehow, somewhere along the line things had started to change, blur. They started to grow up, to grow old and wise and… things just… _changed._ The way Anna would smile at her. The way Elsa would return that strange smile.

Hugs that lingered, kisses layered on cheeks that would creep ever nearer to the other's lips, stares that would last long minutes. Blushing, Elsa would stutter an excuse for why she was staring and Anna would always lean over with a giggle and give her one of those kisses. One of those kisses that was at the corner of her mouth. Elsa would get brave at times, bold; she'd pull Anna into her room, _during the day, no less._ Anna would giggle and smile shyly up at her. Elsa would be grinning mischievously, but still managing to look just as shy as Anna.

" _Hi._ " She'd whisper, and Anna would say the same. They'd both laugh and steal a few minutes of the other's time before, with one head poking out of the door to make sure no one had witnessed and no one was coming, Elsa would usher Anna out. A kiss on her cheek as one last goodbye and the door would shut for the day. Until night would creep back in. And then she'd burst out of her room and run as quickly and loudly as she dared to Anna's door, hardly bothering to knock before she entered the brightly colored room. Anna would always be awake, always be wearing a wide, excited smile. And the same exchange of shy smiles and shyer greetings would follow. Blushes that made no sense, but that neither seemed to be able to help.

Elsa couldn't tell when _it_ had started happening, just that one day it was… it was just _there_. There was just one day, one day when Anna was twelve and she was fifteen when she realized, quite suddenly, that she was _feeling_ something. Something beyond what she logically should. And she wasn't entirely sure what had taken her so long to come to that realization, because it was _blaringly_ obvious. When the realization struck her, she'd laughed out loud. She'd doubled over, clutching at her abdomen and she just… she laughed. She laughed until she cried, and then, then she cried terribly. Sobbing into the circle of her arms. She'd collapsed on her bed, and she'd broken down into a heap of self-loathing. When Anna had come that night, knocking on her door and curiously, softly calling out to the older blonde… Elsa hadn't answered.

More frantically but no less quietly the knocks had sounded out, the soft cry of her name slightly panicked when the doorknob rattled, only for Anna to find that it was _locked._ Her sister, the one she'd been secretly getting closer and closer and ever _closer_ to every night and some days, was suddenly… was suddenly shutting her _out_. Like she promised she never would again because of how much it had hurt them just those first few days – _months_ – of the isolation. She had taken to pounding on the door, loudly, until Elsa had opened it with frantic eyes and pulled her in.

"What do you _want!_ " Elsa hissed, anger shining in her brilliant blue eyes. The same anger was reflected in Anna's eyes, and without warning she rushed forward, thrusting her palms harshly into Elsa's shoulders and shoving her back.

" _WHAT THE HELL!_ " She was just barely not yelling. If she dared take her voice one notch louder she would have been, but she didn't care for that, didn't bother to use discretion because… how _dare_ Elsa try and shut her out! They were _sisters_ ; and it's not as though Anna didn't know about _it_ already! Elsa had an excellent control over herself by this point, yes, but that in _no way_ meant that she suddenly could hide _everything_ from Anna. She'd found out about the magic just a year after her memory had been erased by the troll Elsa told her was named Grand Pabbie. She found out, through sobs from Elsa, that she had accidentally injured her with the magic and she… she hadn't _cared._ It was an accident, nothing more nothing less. She wouldn't stop loving and cherishing her sister all because of one little mishap.

But _this?_ To just try and leave her high and dry with no explanation? That utterly _infuriated_ her. Elsa looked almost frightened by the rare display of rage present on her sister's face – but she was _more_ frightened by how the look aroused her so. And she was disgusted. _What kind of sick, depraved CREATURE craved for the flesh of their younger SISTER, for gods sake!?_ She tried to turn away, turn her back on her sister and cast her anger and worries aside.

"Go away, Anna. I do not wish to speak with you right now-"

"Well that's just too _damn_ bad," Anna hissed, snarling at the look of shock that took over Elsa's face as the blonde whirled around to face her. "Because I wish to speak with you and there is not a SINGLE thing you can do to stop me!"

"I could _freeze_ you! See if you'd do much talking then!" Anna laughed harshly, shaking her head.

"Like you could _ever_ lift a frosted finger my way," Suddenly, her expression failed, anger falling away to leave a bare sorrow that tore at Elsa's heart. "What the _hell_ , Elsa? Trying to shut me out?! That-that isn't… what'd I do?" She sounded so _small_ , so absolutely _hurt_ that Elsa couldn't help the sudden protective instinct that sent her rushing forward, arms automatically wrapping around the smaller girl while she began to shake with repressed tears.

"N-no, Anna I didn't-…! It's just that I'm… I-" She finally gave up on trying to come up with an excuse, letting out a shaky sigh. " _I'm sorry._ But this is something I really can't explain." Anna pulled herself out of Elsa's hold, anger rearing its ugly head once more as she focused another glare on the older girl.

"And why _not?_ " Elsa's pained expression was enough to give her pause, and to send her fears kicking in to overdrive. _What had possibly happened within the course of twenty-four hours that Elsa was acting like THIS?_ "Elsa… really, what's wrong?" she was speaking in a decidedly softer tone, reached out for the blonde's hand. Elsa allowed the contact, breathing out a soft sigh as she seriously considered telling her sister what was bothering her. _Right, because telling her baby sister that she was just… IN LOVE WITH HER, was such a good idea!_ Frowning, she shook her head and drew her hand away from Anna's, holding it to her chest.

"Anna, I really think you should just leave." Her tone was some parts dead and some parts pleading, neither of which Anna paid attention to. Determination hardened her gaze, her resolve steeling as she resolutely shook her head, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest.

"No! I refuse! Not until you tell me what's going on!"

" _Anna!_ " She sounded desperate, and Anna hesitated to push her. But still, she swallowed and held her head high, waiting for Elsa to say something else. " _What are we doing?_ " The question caught her off guard. _What were they doing…? What were they DOING?_ Well wasn't that obvious? Certainly, they weren't doing _anything_. Seeing the look in Anna's eyes, Elsa laughed – in a tone quite uncharacteristic of her; it was bitter and harsh. Anna flinched at the sound, wincing. "Don't pretend you don't… you don't _see_ it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Anna, stubborn as always, insisted. Elsa let out an exasperated sigh and gestured wildly between them.

"THIS! What's between _us!_ " Flushing, Anna shook her head rapidly, denying her sister's words.

"We're _sisters_ , Elsa! What more is there between us?" She sounded… genuinely curious, even confused. Somewhat anxious, as if she knew the answer but couldn't force herself to say it, but still somehow uncertain of herself, of what she _knew_ to be true. Elsa let out another laugh, this one less harsh but no less bitter, and shook her head. And then it was silent. The silence weighed heavily upon them, choking off any words that might have been shared. With a soft sigh and a shake of her head, Elsa looked back to her sister and offered a sad, accepting smile.

"Yeah, guess that's all we are, huh?" The shame and guilt that burned in Anna's heart was without cause, so she theorized. That night she put those worries to rest and ignored the small voice in her head screaming at her; _you're an idiot, a fool!_

* * *

When Anna was fourteen and Elsa was seventeen, everything changed. Two years of getting that same odd smile from Elsa every time they greeted each other, two years of decreased visits and a strangely tense, charged atmosphere between them had an uncanny ability to change things. She'd grown into her own, her body and her hormones and _urges_ and it only took two years for her to come to the conclusion that… well, Elsa had been right. _But then again, Elsa was ALWAYS right._ She was smart, and beautiful, and talented that way…

Anna could see it now, though. That… that _something_ between them. That monster of a _thing_ she had sensed being there since… well, since the beginning of it all. It wasn't anything new, she just thought it was new because she'd never bothered to address or acknowledge it before. But after two years of repression her world exploded after one teeny, tiny little instance. It was so insignificant that, had she actually put an effort into forgetting about it or convincing herself that it hadn't actually been _real_ , she probably would have forgotten about it. It would have slipped away never to bother her again – _not really, but she liked to think as such_. But, being one stubborn _ass_ of a person, she couldn't just… just _let it GO!_ That wasn't who she was, how she operated. Sometimes she wished she was, and it was, but…

 _A dream._

Her whole world had been flipped on its axis by a little _dream._ Though, to be fair, her _dream_ hadn't been some normal sort of thing. It had been a dream about Elsa… or, well… _her_ and Elsa. Together. Like, _together_ together. She'd been naked and absolutely _throbbing_ with need – and yes, she'd reached the age of exploration, that time when she'd discovered that _magical_ patch of flesh that resided between and at the apex of her thighs – and everything had been a blur. But _someone_ (and she still flushed recalling the memories of the dream) had… well, they'd been… _between_ her thighs. Strong hands holding her legs open and apart, mouth pressed against her most intimate of places as a tongue had… _Well_ , to make a long story short, when she'd cum with a cry, turning into a panting, moaning, shuddering mess of ecstasy, the body that had slid up the length of hers had been lithe and decidedly feminine. The face that had hovered of hers, chin wet with the evidence of her pleasure, had been Elsa's.

And when she'd woken up, she tried to feel disgusted. Because she'd woken up just as Elsa had grinned this predatory grin and swooped down to tangle their tongues together – _oh god, but to have experienced THAT and just as a dream… she would have given ANYTHING!_ And that thought should have disgusted her, too. But she just… she'd woken up, in a sweat, feeling sticky and wholly uncomfortable but… intrigued. _Exhilarated._ Not disgusted, not filled with hatred for herself and for her damned, dirty mind. No, she'd been so aroused that she'd… that she'd reached underneath her bedcovers, hiked up the hem of her nightgown and she'd gone ahead to pleasure herself to the memory. _And she'd liked it._ Nay, she'd LOVED it. She twisted and turned for nights on end after that, abandoning even their usual bi-weekly eve meeting so she could ponder upon her own feelings, try to ignore them since she couldn't very well stop herself from enjoying them.

She _knew_ she should have been revolted by the idea of it. Elsa was her _sister!_ But… but she couldn't bring herself to. It just, the idea of it felt so… _natural_. It was as easy as breathing, this thought of loving Elsa… like _that._ And one night, the third night within two weeks that she'd received a knock on her door, she finally answered Elsa's soft call for her. She'd opened the door to her room and Elsa had been standing on the other side, eyes wide and expression slightly shocked. Anna had smiled at her, gingerly, shyly, and told her she could come in. She'd ushered Elsa over to the bed and they'd sat on it, beside each other but… they didn't speak. Not at first. Elsa didn't know what to say, and Anna was rightly at a loss for words. _How did one go about admitting they were in LOVE with their sister?_

Anna decided, after five minutes of awkward, uncomfortable silence, that one did so directly.

"I love you, Elsa," She'd turned to face her sister, and had spoken with as much conviction as she possibly could. Elsa blinked, staring at her and wondering if she'd… if she'd _meant_ that the way her eyes were saying she did. And then, with a slightly mischievous smile, the red-head had leaned closer. Elsa leaned back in response, eyes widening in alarm until the bed was beneath her and Anna was on top of her and she had nowhere else to go. "Like _this._ "

They'd shared their first kiss then. And though Elsa had been too shocked to kiss her back at first, she caught on when Anna had started to draw back, uncertain and slightly afraid that she'd misunderstood Elsa after _all_ these years. Elsa's hand had shot out, cupping the back of her neck and pulling her back in just as Elsa rolled them so she was hovering over Anna now as she forced her way into Anna's mouth. When moans had filled the bedchamber, echoing off the walls and hotly back into Anna's ears, when they'd thoroughly run out of air and Anna was starting to lose her mind and inhibitions, Elsa had drawn back, wearing the largest smile Anna had _ever_ seen.

" _Geez,_ you're slow!" Elsa teased, and somehow the absurdity of it caught up with them – this whole situation, how wrong it was and how right it felt and how hard they'd struggled with it – and they began to shake with laughter. The laughter ended in the soft press of lips, and when air became a pressing need that, too, ended.

"I'm sorry I made you wait so long," Their eyes were closed, breaths mingling as they each tried to catch theirs while Elsa relaxed on top of her, forehead pressed against Anna's. Elsa smiled, chuckling lowly as she slid off of the red-head and settled against her side. One arm was wrapped tightly – possessively – around the girl's waist and she'd laid her head down over her pounding heart.

"Don't be. I would have felt _horrible_ making out with a twelve-year-old!" Anna laughed, running her fingers through Elsa's hair, enjoying the soft hum of content Elsa let out. It was almost a purr, and she smiled harder imagining two fluffy, almost-white cat ears poking up out of Elsa's impressive mane. "What's so funny, hmm?" Elsa pushed herself up, leaning over Anna once more and smirking. Anna smiled back – _she hoped it was as seductive as she was attempting to make it_ – and reached up, stroking Elsa's cheek.

"Oh, just thinking about how you're like an overgrown cat," As she spoke her hand drifted up, pushing through Elsa's hair once more, blunt nails scratching at her scalp. Elsa leaned into the touch, that same hum/almost-purr issuing from her throat. After a few moments Elsa swooped down, smiling into the kisses she pressed against Anna's mouth. When she drew back, just a few inches, a rather catty grin was curling at her lips.

"I guess that would explain why I always preferred-" She leaned closer, the grin stretching wider. "- _pussy._ "

" _Elsa!_ " Anna gasped, taken aback by the vulgarity of the utterance – _and WOW, so much better than her fantasies!_ Closing what little distance remained between them once more, Elsa dared to take it deeper than she had before. _Gods ABOVE,_ but Anna tasted sweeter than any morsel of chocolate she'd ever savored. She tasted better than every bit of chocolate she'd ever savored, _combined._ " _Mmmm,_ Elsa w-wait!" Anna pushed at her shoulders until the blonde back off with a low whine. The red-head was panting, cheeks flushed and eyes darkened. Elsa felt uncharacteristically hot at the sight. "I need… air. For breathing… and the like."

"Right, of course," Elsa allowed herself a low chuckle as she bent and left a quick kiss on the corner of Anna's mouth. And then one on her cheek. Her jaw. The underside of her jaw. "Take your time."

"You're insatiable!" Anna laughed, breathlessly; Elsa hummed her approval and nipped at the flesh beneath her lips, smirking to herself when Anna's hips bucked up into hers. "And so _bad._ Where has this Elsa been hiding?"

"Mmm, behind socially acceptable displays of appropriately sisterly behaviors," Elsa sat up, straddling Anna's hips and gesturing grandly about them as she continued. "And beneath my calm, cool, collected ice queen exterior!" When Anna glanced about the room, she took in the sight of random patterns of frost creeping up the walls, snow covering everything but for them, the bed. Giggling, Anna turned her eyes back to meet Elsa's and shook her head.

"I wouldn't go so far as to call you an ice queen…" Brow cocked and smile quirking at her lips, Elsa leaned back over the girl.

"Oh?" Anna shook her head, biting at her bottom lip to hold back a smile. _It had the added effect of distracting those intense eyes._

"No. Ice is unyielding, unrelenting. It's harsh and potentially dangerous. An icy calm is a calm to be feared. This is not you; your calm is more like a gentle snowfall. It blankets everything in your cool aura, encourages an atmosphere of peace," As she'd spoken, Elsa had rolled them once more, but just enough so that they were lying on their sides facing each other. She was grinning all through the explanation, and now began to chuckle.

"So I'm… what? A snow queen?" Once more, Anna shook her head. "Then what?"

"You're _my_ snow queen," Elsa snorted at the response, rolling her eyes but smiling goofily.

"Right, how could I be so dense?" Anna sniffed haughtily, tilting her head back so she could look down her nose at the blonde.

"Indeed." She managed to hold the expression for another five seconds before she could no longer ignore the twitching of her lips and finally allowed herself to grin and lapse into a fit of giggles with Elsa.

"So if I'm _your_ snow queen," Anna grinned widely, loving the way that sounded. Elsa was _hers_ , and hers alone. "What does that make you to me?" Anna barely paused to think on that before her grin broadened, encompassing nearly the whole of her face.

"Your snowflake!"

"And how's that?" Elsa smirked. "Because you melt under the heat of my love?"

"Well, there's that…" Anna trailed off, grin morphing into a smirk as she moved closer to Elsa. She pushed at the blonde's shoulder until she was lying on her back, and then proceeded to straddle her hips as Elsa had seen fit to do to her just before. "But I was thinking more along the lines of… _you've got complete control over me_."

"Well," Elsa was certain she'd never grinned quite so widely. "I rather like the sound of that."

* * *

"Two weeks hasn't been enough!" Elsa whined, huffing and puffing and pouting as she crossed her arms over her naked chest. She was sitting up in the bed, back against the headboard and sheets pooled around her waist. Anna was splayed out beside her, face pressed into a pillow, the sheets not quite reaching her shoulder blades. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing slowly and evenly, but she wasn't asleep. She was just… content. So content that she could just lay there and bask in the afterglow of Elsa's – _for now_ – sated appetite for sex. Anna could only guess that having repressed her sexual urges for however long she'd been unknowingly catching the blonde's eye, this was her body's way of making up for it. Or something like that; _geez_ , but Elsa was a beast, a machine! "I want another week."

"That's unfortunate," Anna mumbled, earning a petulant glare from the still-pouting blonde. A glare which she did not see, eyes still shut. She rolled over slowly, stretching her arms above her head and blinking her eyes open as she sat up, running a hand through her hair as she offered up a placating smile to the woman currently too distracted with her bare breasts to look her in the eye. Leaning over, she extended an arm, using just a finger underneath Elsa's chin to bring her blues back up to Anna's eyes. "Because they're coming back tomorrow, regardless of your wants."

"I want _you_ ," Elsa growled, lunging forward and crashing her lips into Anna's and forcing the girl back onto her back. Anna returned the kiss, but with less vigor than Elsa would have liked. "Come _ooon_!" the blonde whined as she pulled back, cupping Anna's face. "Let's go again!" Anna only shook her head, laughing softly as she pressed a firm hand to Elsa's sternum and pushed her back. She sat up, gathering the sheets as best she could up to her chest.

"Elsa, I'm sore, exhausted, I could really go for a bath-"

"But then you won't smell like me!" Anna paused, staring at her sister for a few long moments before she grinned and started laughing.

"We can bathe together, but that's hardly the point." Elsa fell back on the pout, glaring at a point over Anna's shoulder.

"Then what _is_ the point?"

"The point is that, as much as I enjoy having you for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I could go for some actual food, and maybe sunlight, clothing and contact with other humans," Elsa let out a long, suffering sigh. It lasted until she ran out of breath, and once that'd happened she took in a lungful of air and started on round two of the displeased noise. Anna only smiled and rolled out of bed, leaving the sheets behind and striding over to her bathroom. Elsa, despite herself and her mood, couldn't help the way her eyes wouldn't pull away from the enticing sight of Anna's bare bottom. "Are you coming?" Anna paused just in the doorway, throwing a smirk over her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah," Elsa grumbled lowly. She was smiling, however, as she stood from the bed, almost tripping on the sheets that'd started to twist around her waist and legs. Kicking at and cursing them, she stumbled over to an amused Anna, delivering a swift smack to one cheek as she passed. "Oh, hush you."

Fighting off further advances from Elsa proved to be difficult, but in the time it took for them to bathe and – eventually – dress, Anna managed to refuse every single one. Elsa had put up her own fight. Mostly whining and a bit of trying to use the natural charm of her body, but Anna's state of being completely and perfectly content (and also very _sore_ ) won out in the end. Elsa promised to give her the rest of the day to recuperate. They could eat and walk in the gardens, build a snowman for all she cared, but she'd made Anna promise her this last night. Just this one last time to fall asleep with Anna in her arms.

"I don't know how I'll possibly manage to sleep after this," Anna sighed as they walked through the halls towards the kitchens. Fully clothed. Which felt something of an accomplishment after this past fortnight. "Having to go back to my cold, lonely bed…"

"I'm sure my cold _er_ bed isn't very much better," Elsa laughed. Their clasped hands swung between them as they walked, and she brought them up to her mouth to press a kiss against the back of Anna's hand. She could still recall the look on her father's face when, one day three months back, he'd stumbled across them walking hand-in-hand through the halls. _Priceless._

"Yeah, but I won't have you in my bed-"

"Oh?" Elsa was smirking, one brow cocked skeptically. Anna's cheeks flushed and she shot a quick, playful glare Elsa's way.

"To spend the night," she finished, bumping her shoulder into Elsa's. Elsa laughed again, apologizing – though they both knew she didn't _really_ mean it – and letting silence descend upon them. It was comfortable, and she allowed herself to think for a moment that maybe Anna had been right. Getting out of that room for a bit _was_ kind-of nice. "Do you remember when dad caught us holding hands?" Anna held up their hands, smiling. Elsa burst into a set of giggles, nodding.

"I was _just_ thinking about that!" Anna giggled along with her, pulling her hand out of Elsa's grip and taking a few swift steps in front of her. Elsa stopped, watching the display as Anna puffed up her chest and began speaking in the deepest voice she could muster.

"W-w-what is GOING on _here_!" She screwed her face up, holding her breath for a few moments so her cheeks would turn red, spluttering out a laugh when Elsa started veritably _cackling._ Not that laugh where she would hold a hand to her mouth as if to hide her happiness, the 'princess laugh'; one of those full-bellied laughs that had tears springing up in the corner of the blonde's eyes. The laughs that would allow only around Anna.

"I-I thought… h-he was going… to have a heart attack!" Elsa choked out as she straightened up, wiping at her eyes.

"Oh I know, and when I told him I'd help you overcome your fear of dirt-"

"And I had to explain to him that was the, ahem, _real reason_ why I'd taken to wearing the gloves in the first place," Elsa snorted, moving forward and holding her hand out for Anna to take while she rolled her eyes.

"Could he have _been_ more obvious? Honestly, if I hadn't already known about your powers that _certainly_ would have helped clue me in," Anna squeezed Elsa's hand and smiled over at her. "But at least that gave us a reason to see each other during the day without suspicion."

"Yeah, for _you_ maybe! I got a stern talking-to every day for the next _week_ , in case you forgot," Anna smiled at her and shook her head, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"I hadn't forgotten, actually, I was just waiting for you to remind me," Elsa chuckled, untangling their fingers once more so she could pinch Anna's cheek.

"Cheeky smart-ass," she grumbled good-naturedly. Anna giggled and swatted the hand away, winking at the blonde as she skipped slightly ahead. She turned to face Elsa and began walking backwards – and Elsa would be lying if she said that some part of her didn't wish that Anna might trip. _That would show her._

"You must be rubbing off on me."

"Considering all the rubbing _off_ on you I've been doing for the past year, you'd think it would have started earlier," Elsa said in a manner that could almost have been speculative. But she was smirking, and Anna blushed lightly in response.

"Considering all the times you've reminded me just how often, and how hard, you've made me cum in the past year, you'd think you would have gotten tired of it by now," she quipped. Elsa's smirk grew as she stepped closer, grabbing Anna's arm and pulling her to a stop.

"I never will. Every time I say it, it reminds me that _you're_ mine. That I'm _yours_ , and that is something I can never tire of," Anna's blush darkened. She pursed her lips and looked away, glancing around the hall and rocking on her heels for a moment, before she quickly leaned forward to leave a kiss on Elsa's smirking lips.

"You're just lucky that you're charming," Elsa shook her head, the smirk dwindling into a no-less dazzling smile.

"I'm luckiest that I have you." Anna's cheeks were radiating heat, a blistering red shade that Elsa found to be rather charming. Before she could tell her so, however, their came the sound of frantic yelling. "Is that… Kai?"

" _PRINCESS ANNA! PRINCESS ELSA, URGENT NEWS!_ " It was echoing up and down the halls, sounding louder, and then softer, hollow and whole.

"Kai!? We're over here!" Anna raised her voice, calling back to the man they could hear running through the grand halls. "Wherever here is, of course…" The portly man came charging around the corner in the next second, red-faced and panting heavily. He stumbled up to the two of them, Anna taking a nervous step back, fearing that the man might just fall flat on his face from exhaustion. She was worried, not just for him, but also for the fact that Kai – the only one she would ever compare to being as calm and cool as Elsa always was – had been so harried by whatever news he had for them that he'd actually _run_ throughout the castle (which was _not_ a small place by any means) looking for them…

"What's going on?" Elsa's voice sounded colder than the hand that wrapped comfortingly around Anna's. The younger princess glanced to her sister, tense with apprehension.

"P-princess Anna, Princess Elsa, I…" Anna swallowed thickly and turned to face him. _Why did her heart pound so?_ She couldn't tell if his eyes were wet merely from the exertion – one's eyes could water because of that, right? – or… Elsa glanced down at the hand she was gripping, brows furrowing when she noticed how it was shaking. She had to resist the urge to pull Anna into an embrace. _Later, once Kai was gone._ "I regret to… to inform you that… th-th-that…" His lips were trembling even more than Anna's hands were, and tears were freely slipping down his cheeks.

"Kai…?" Elsa let go of Anna's hand and stepped closer to the man, hesitating only for a moment before laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. It seemed to set something off in him, however, as he suddenly collapsed to his knees, head dropping into his hands as he began to sob openly. A paper she hadn't noticed clutched in his hands had fluttered to the floor at Elsa's feet when he'd dropped. She bent, grabbing it and straightening as Anna came up by her side to read over her shoulder. She wasn't sure at what point she'd fallen to her knees. She wasn't sure at what point the paper had slipped from her limp fingers. She wasn't even sure at what point she found herself Anna's shoulder to sob on.

All she really knew at this point was that her mother and father were dead. And she… she would be Queen.

* * *

At the funeral, they stood next to each other. The day, as if sensing the mood and the unfortunate occasion, had been dark and dismal. A full on storm had never started up, only an incessant drizzle complemented by a roaring, ripping wind. But that actually hadn't been due to the nature of their hamlet, more to do with Elsa's emotional turmoil. She gripped Anna's hand tightly, and she knew that she was probably hurting the girl – she could feel her fingers frosting over, but couldn't bring herself to care. She was the one shaking now, and she was trying to hold the tears at bay but she was struggling to. There were so many people standing before her, and they were all crying so she _knew_ not a single person would judge her for losing herself to her emotions but… She needed to stand strong. For Anna.

Many in the crowd were staring at them. Though most were too overcome with the sense of tragedy, others still were amazed to see the princesses for the first time in… for the first time in at least a decade. And some part of Elsa wanted to give them a break, wanted to let this go... But that be DAMNED, this was a funeral, the funeral of her FUCKING parents, and they had the gall, the audacity to just… just STARE like a bunch of brainless morons!? The wind whipped harder and those that stared turned their faces out of the wind. In the time that gave her, Elsa let Anna's hand go and instead pulled her into a tight, one-armed hug.

It'd been a week since the news. A week since Elsa had been forced to announce to the populous of Arendelle that the King and Queen had been lost at sea. A week since the advisory council had taken over, with heavy hearts, and had felt the need to reiterate the fact that she would have to, eventually, take on the role of Queen. She hadn't cried then. And she wouldn't cry now that she was faced with all of _these_ heavy-hearted people. She would wait. Impatiently, maybe, but she would wait and when not even Anna could cast her gaze upon her would she allow herself to grieve fully.

The funeral dragged on, however, and Elsa found herself growing weary. It was a dreadful affair and she really just wanted to crawl in bed with Anna and sleep for a month. Anna had been grieving all week and Elsa had been comforting her in the night and it was all so _tiring._ Anna looked just as worst for wear as she knew she did, so she figured that Anna would feel the same about the matter as she did. She was rather taken by surprise when Anna practically dragged her back to the castle as soon as the crowd had slightly cleared out.

"A-Anna, wha-"

"I want you to lose control," Anna cut in sharply as she stopped before Elsa's door, almost kicking it open in her haste to get into the bedroom.

"W-what?" Anna yanked on her arm, pulling her into the bedroom and slamming the door shut behind them. Before Elsa could blink or even begin to wonder what Anna was going on about, she was pressed up against the door, Anna's mouth pressed against hers. Anna grabbed one of her hands, placing the hand over her breasts and encouraging Elsa to squeeze. "Aaa, ANNA!" Elsa pushed the girl away, panting, blinking rapidly as she tried to come back to her senses. _This was so WEIRD_ , Anna was hardly ever the aggressor, not that she didn't _like_ it, just that it was strange… "What has gotten in to you?"

"Elsa, I'm…" Anna sighed, turning her back and stalking over to the bed. She fell on to it, hiding her face in the plush comforter. "I'm tired of hurting. I want to feel cold, _numb._ I want to feel you. An-and I _need_ to feel you, but… but I really just… I want you to lose control. Use the magic." She winced at her word choice, recalling _the incident_ , but shook it away and looked up to Elsa. She could see the slight bit of terror tinging her eyes and stood up, moving over to her. "You won't hurt me, Elsa. Not even if I asked you to would you do it." She smiled at the blonde, cupping her cheek and leaning forward to draw her into a kiss, waiting until Elsa finally started to respond to the press of her lips and tongue before she pulled back, smiling at the princess.

"Anna…" It was almost a warning, and something of a plea.

"It'll be fine, I trust you, just… this once, just let it go."


	3. And Then There Were Four

"Little prince, little prince, where could you be?" Elsa sang as she moved carefully, slowly through the gardens. This wouldn't be the first, or last, impromptu game of hide-and-seek they'd ever played together, but it would certainly be one of the more dangerous ones. Anna had requested their presences fifteen minutes ago, and if there was one thing about Anna she knew to be absolutely certain, it was that she did NOT enjoy being kept waiting when she deemed something important enough to officially summon both her lover and their child. Of course Aren was aware of all of this. The fact of the matter remained that he _knew_ he could get away with it. First-Child Syndrome would continue to be in effect until his little sibling was born, and that wouldn't be for a few months yet. So for now he waited in the cover of the branches, looking down upon the blonde head of his mom, trying to hold in giggles.

 _She didn't even know where he was, he was SO going to win this round!_

Except she _did_ know where he was. He was her child, it was her duty to be aware of his idiosyncrasies and those similarities he shared with herself and her dearest. One of those similarities happened to be a penchant for scaling trees like a monkey. Something she'd always done and something Anna had delighted in watching her go about doing. While the at-the-time young girl had been amazed by the feat, it had been one she'd never really been able to do herself. So she'd stuck with watching from the ground as Elsa would dump snow upon unsuspecting passers-by, shaking with laughter with every surprised shriek that would grace their ears. Plus, she could sense his use of the winter magic which ran through his veins, that magic which was a part of her as much as him. _Sneaky little snow monkey was trying to play HER old trick._

"Gotcha!" she crowed as she shot a blast of magic straight up above, spinning on her heel and taking a step to the left with her arms outstretched to cradle the bundle of six-year-old joy to her chest as it fell from the sky. He was shrieking with laughter, positively wailing as she snuck her chilled fingers up under his tunic and began to tickle his tummy.

"N-NO FAIR!" He pushed at her hands, trying to save himself from the torture; that only spurred her on, and she went about pressing her lips to his stomach and blowing the biggest raspberry she could. She finally stopped when they were both breathless with laughter, and sat herself down on the ground in a graceless heap with him nestled comfortably in her lap, his head tucked under her chin. _He was warm._ Warmer than she would ever be, at least. Still cooler than Anna always was, but pleasantly warm nonetheless. She pressed an affectionate kiss to his downy-soft hair, smiling to herself when he let out a displeased grunt at the display. " _Mooom_ ," he whined, swiping blindly at her, fingers tapping against her chin as she attempted to jerk her head out of the way. "Quit it!"

"I'm sorry, my dear prince, you are simply too irresistible!" she cackled madly, leaning down to layer more kisses all over his face while he squealed and tried to squirm out of her hold. He succeeded eventually and this started up a short game of chase through the gardens that lasted up until Gerda came out, red-faced and panting, eyes wide and frantic.

"YOUR MAJESTY!" Elsa and Aren both peeked out from behind a thick bush, groaning when Gerda caught sight of them before they could duck back behind the foliage. Elsa caught on to the urgency of the moment when she found Gerda's fearful eyes. _Holy frozen hell; what had her so freaked?_ "I-I fear for your life…" She paused to gulp in air, half bent over and bracing her hands on her knees, "-should you leave her waiting any longer." Aren and Elsa shared a wide-eyed glance before they turned back to her and nodded in unison.

"Yes, of course," Elsa forced a smile, hoping that maybe if she imitated the calm Anna always admired her for, she might actually feel it. But dread was curling around her heart, a thorny vine that was growing, prickling underneath her skin and leaving her in a state of quiet panic. _Oh gods above, she was going to be kicked out of the bedroom._ She wouldn't be able to hold Anna while she slept and that was really the ONLY thing that allowed her to close her eyes and drift off at night and-and what if she even restricted Aren from her and WHAT IF-

"Mom," She didn't need to look at Aren to know he'd just rolled his eyes, to know that he was smiling up at her as one of his hands found hers, their fingers threading together as best they could. "It's okay. I've got this!" She glanced down at him as they walked past Gerda – who offered them luck and wished her well ( _"That I should see you alive in the morning would be a blessing…"_ ) – and back into the castle, towards the study that had once been her father's. His chest was puffed up and there was an utterly confidant smile curling at his lips. The dread unthreaded itself from her heart, it's beat returning to normal and the crawling of her skin settling.

"I certainly do hope so, little prince; your mother might still just mutilate me though," she muttered with a shaky laugh, running a hand through her hair. It was wild naturally, but after the chase through the gardens she would be willing to guess it was absolutely rabid. _Maybe she could make up an excuse; YEAH! She'd been running to get to Anna an-and then she'd, uhhh, err, she'd…_ Damnit. She had nothing.

"I'll tell her that I need you to not die." A brow twitched as she turned to face him, stopping her almost too-fast walk towards where she could feel the tension gathering in the air. It was a fog, a miasma of hormonally enhanced fury that was choking the hallways leading directly to the study.

"Thank you," she deadpanned. He only giggled and grinned up at her, nodding once and giving her a thumbs up.

"Sure thing, momma!" _Cheeky little smartass…_ He was just lucky he was so cute. She told him so as she pinched his cheek, earning an annoyed, distressed groan and multiple protests as he swiped at her hand. "Quit it! We're gonna be MORE late and mother's REALLY gonna kill you dead then!"

"Oh, _shoot!_ You're right, come on!" She leaned down, scooping him up into her arms quickly and all out sprinting the rest of the way to the study, huffing and puffing and sweating all the while he threw his hands up and laughed with glee. _At least ONE of them was having fun._ She stopped just before the door, letting out a long, breathless groan as she set him down and tried to catch her breath in five seconds flat. She'd no time to waste, even if it was well wasted for the betterment of her health. "A-Anna!" she called as she pushed the door open, moving to take a step inside while Aren slipped past her and walked towards where his mother stood, the fire in her eyes matched only by the blaze of the sun on the most sweltering of summer days – but of course, the sun on those days, were it to be believed to be a conscious being, would be overtaken by such a jealousy for that fire present in the red-head's eyes. "I'm _so_ sor-"

 _Thunk!_

Air rushed by her, and she watched in disbelief as a few strands of her hair fluttered by her face and to the floor. Blinking slowly, she turned to stare at the letter opener stuck into the door jamb. _Up to the HANDLE._ She was going to die. There was no two ways about it, Anna was going to strangle her, or stab her, or do something twisted and dastardly to her that would ultimately result in her death. And she would deserve it for knowingly, _deliberately_ keeping her waiting. Even Aren had paused mid-stride to stare wide-eyed at his mother.

"There had better be a _very_ good explanation for your tardiness." Despite the blaze in Anna's eyes, her voice was calm, quiet. Deathly so. Elsa would have felt better if she were screaming. Quiet Anna was dangerous Anna. That meant she wasn't angry. She was _beyond_ angry, so far beyond it she simply couldn't yell anymore.

"I, I, I…" _Shit, shit, SHIT!_ What did she say? What _COULD_ she say!? She couldn't say anything, not a thing, because no excuse was good enough! Obviously her hair was fine so she couldn't say that her scalp randomly caught fire. And that was really the only good reason why she could have been missing. "Umm, I, uh-"

"M-mother?" There was a pitiful sniffle tacked on at the end of the almost-whisper, whimper of a cry. Elsa's eyes fell to Aren; his big blues were shiny, glossed over with tears. One hand was fisted in the skirt of Anna's dress, his bottom lip was poking out _just_ so, so that it wasn't overly dramatic, but still enough to be believable. He sniffled again, swiping at his face with one hand and casting his eyes down when Anna's met his. His cheeks tinged pink, and Elsa watched with amazement as Anna's eyes softened and a small smile – evidenced by the twitching at her lips – began to make itself known. _Oh, he was GOOD._ "I-I'm s-s-sorry! I di-didn't mean to make momma late! I just wa-wanted to play!" Anna sighed, shook her head as she kneeled down before him and hooked a finger under his chin, tilting his face up so she could kiss his forehead.

"You're a sweet boy, Aren," Anna murmured as she pulled back, stroking her other hand through his hair; he continued to sniffle, but allowed a watery smile to tug at his own lips now. _He was almost TOO good._ "But you're in just as deep as your momma." He snapped out of the water works immediately with a sigh and the slumping of his shoulders. "You just happen to be cuter."

"Hey!" Anna shot another glare towards Elsa, quieting her protest immediately. Elsa flinched, shuffling her feet nervously before she took a deep breath and finally took the steps that would bring her fully into the room, shutting the door behind her. "S-so what did you need us for, anyway?" _A change in the subject might distract Anna from her well-deserved fury… right?_ Anna sighed – or maybe huffed? Elsa couldn't quite tell, it was an annoyed sound anyway – and stood carefully, one hand supporting her swollen belly while she gripped at the large desk with the other to help her stand. Her eyes fell to Anna's stomach, her fears forgotten as a grin split her face. She continued to move forward, towards Anna, ignoring the way Anna continued to glare at her (though it was much weaker now, softer once she took in Elsa's gleeful expression and where exactly it was directed) as she extended a hand and laid it over Anna's.

"I'm still mad at you," Anna whispered, trying not to smile at the look of pure adoration painting her lover's face. Elsa hummed her agreement, catching Anna's eyes with her own once again.

"I know. And I _am_ sorry for keeping you waiting. _He,_ " she cast a quick glance to the quiet Aren, watching the exchange with a smile. "-decided on an impromptu game of hide-and-seek in the gardens."

"And _you_ indulged him. You're _both_ at fault, and you're both in trouble, but that isn't important and I didn't call you here to reprimand your childishness. There's something more that I must discuss with you, and as it involves the both of you – or really what you two are capable of, what our next future children will be capable of – I decided that I should take into account your opinions…" Elsa almost rolled her eyes, holding on the urge . An undignified snort still makes it past her lips and Anna glares at her shortly.

"Sorry," she clears her throat to cover the laugh that next bubbles up, easily schooling her features to fit Anna's attempt for seriousness. She even withdrew her hand from the swell of the younger woman's stomach, folding her hands in front of her and letting out a slow breath to truly calm herself. "Sorry; you were saying?" The glare continued to bore into her face for a few long moments before Anna rolled her eyes and began again.

"Our next child will be born within another few moons," She rubbed a hand almost absent-mindedly over her stomach as she spoke. "And I believe it entirely plausible to assume that they will also control the whims of winter-"

"And she'll be super strong!" Aren piped up, grinning up at his mom.

"And how are you so sure of that?" Anna asked, glancing between the twin grins that were next turned upon her by her lover and their shared child. _Those two were so alike at times it was almost frightening._

"We can tell," Elsa told her as she bent down, hefting Aren into her arms with a grunt of effort. To him, she spoke with a smile, tickling at his tummy once more, "You're getting quite heavy, big man."

"I'm not too heavy momma, you're just not strong enough!"

"Oh is _that_ what it is?"

"Pardon me, dearest ones," Anna called to them, smiling gently but shaking her head at the two. "I _do_ believe I was the one overseeing this meeting, at some point. I'd have to assume that it would be within my right to question the two of you troublemakers on _how_ exactly you know that I'm going to be having a girl…?"

"Oh!" Aren gasped, flushing. He started to fidget in his mom's arms, looking entirely guilty. "I-I didn't mean to ruin the surprise…" Elsa smiled at him, the smile quite identical to the one Anna had fixed upon them both just before.

"You didn't mean to, little prince," she comforted him, though he still wore a guilty, displeased sort of frown when he glanced up at her, big blue eyes almost hopeful. "We can tell." This she aimed at Anna, her smile growing wider and somehow smug. " _I_ can tell. There's a different feel surrounding the winter than last time. A strength, and… and something _more._ Different from Aren. He can tell the difference as well." Elsa paused, chuckling, leaning forward to nuzzle the crown of Aren's head, pressing a kiss there when he giggled and wrapped his arms around her neck. She shifted her hold on him then, searching for a more comfortable position for him to balance on her hip as she moved closer to Anna. Her hand found itself back upon the swell of the younger woman's stomach, and she smiled down at the bulge lovingly, fingertips caressing. Anna was smiling, eyes sparkling as she looked down at the pale hand upon her abdomen.

"A girl…" There was a wonder decorating the breathless exhale that brought a smile to Aren's face. Mostly knowing that all was forgiven – _or that no one had really minded his ruining the surprise in the first place_ – and he was in the clear. Funny, though, how she hadn't picked up on the fact that his baby sister was going to be incredibly powerful… Maybe she hadn't been paying attention, she seemed to have forgotten the fact that she was mad at them at least. "That settles it! We simply must tell the council about this."

"Our girl?" Was she really so eager to set up marriage contracts? She couldn't imagine any other reason the council might be interested in the news that they were having a girl…

"No, darling," Anna giggled, leaning forward to press a kiss to her cheek. "Your powers. It's time they know. If she is to be so strong-" _Or maybe she had picked up on that fact…_ "-I think it best that they know. However, it is you two that contain the magic; ultimately it is your decision whether or not you want to say anything." She looked between the two, beseechingly. She wanted this, NEEDED this. Their magic was beautiful and as selfish as she could be she just wanted to share this with the whole of world! It would really only help them in the long run. Fear and respect were things she understood and wielded well, both against her love and their little one(s)… along with letter openers, BUT…

Her two loves were having a silent conversation, staring at each other for long moments. She almost felt she was intruding, and she might have left but for the fact that Elsa hadn't moved her hand from her belly, and even as she considered moving away she felt a kick. Elsa's head whipped around, face lighting up with a smile.

"Yes," Elsa breathed, glancing up at Anna, still smiling that brilliant, breath-taking smile. "Yes we should tell them." She dropped down to her knees then, kissing the spot where the baby had last kicked. "I want everything to be perfect for our little girl."

"What about me?" Aren was trying to pout at them, really he was. But… his mothers were always silly, and he was smiling at the two instead.

"Your life is already perfect little one! Let us spoil the next child, hmm?" Elsa finally drew her hand away from Anna's stomach, turning to ruffle Aren's almost-blonde hair. He ducked out from under her hand, scrambling back with his hands pressed over his head, trying to fix his hair. It was getting _so_ long now, he'd have to start pulling it back from his face soon.

"I agree with mom," He spoke up, after his hair was back to a form of his personal satisfaction. "We should tell 'em. I wanna be able to build snowmen with my little sister whenever I feel like it."

"There's no doubt about it," Anna sighed softly, almost sorrowfully. She looked to Elsa, moving over to her and draping herself dramatically against Elsa. "He is our son!"

"He better be," Elsa growled, wrapping a possessive arm around Anna. Anna rolled her eyes, smiling when Elsa planted a kiss on her forehead. "Heck, knowing us he'll probably fall for his baby sister!" They both laughed shortly, while Aren watched on with a smile, not really paying all that much attention anymore. Until his mom had suddenly unwound her arm from around his mother; before he could even blink she was on her knees before him, gripping his shoulders tightly and glaring seriously into his wide eyes. "If you touch your baby sister before she's ready, I'M GONNA—"

"Aren, sweetie," Anna smiled sweetly down at Aren, tugging sharply on the ear she'd between her thumb and pointer finger, effectively silencing Elsa.

"OWOWOW, Anna please let go that huuuurts!" Somewhat silencing.

"I know I said you and your mom were both in trouble, but as it turns out, only she is. You can run along back to the gardens. We'll be out shortly," Her smile was almost convincingly sweet... But his mom whining for mercy skewed that image just slightly. Still, he knew better than to make trouble for himself when his mother was angry.

"I love you," he ran to his mother, hugging her around her waist as best he could… nodding to his mom (he wasn't going anywhere near her, she'd beg him for help and he hated having to tell her no) his affections and running towards the door to slip out.

"WHAT-" She tugged on the ear.

"OW!"

"DO YOU THINK-"

"OOOOW! Please, I'm sorry!"

"YOU'RE DOING!?"

"I'M WRITHING IN PAIN! But I figured that was, OW, pretty obvious!" Anna finally let her go, but only after one last pull on the reddened ear. Elsa cupped it with both hands, eyes watering as she glared up at her unamused lover. "I thought you were about to rip it off!"

"I almost did. Shame on you, Elsa! He's only six!" Elsa regained her feet, still rubbing at her thoroughly sore ear.

"It's not like I really said anything of consequence! I just… politely warned him-"

"Politely," Anna snorted, rolling her eyes. "Right."

"Oh please, don't tell me the thought hasn't crossed your mind once or twice. Can you really blame me for taking precautions? I mean, this is our baby _girl_ we're talking about. Our princess, our…" Her ear forgotten, Elsa moved over to Anna, dropping to her knees without hesitation and pressing kisses against the bulge of Anna's stomach. " _Our baby_. We're going to have a little girl, Anna!" Anna, even with her (slowly fading) ire, found herself smiling down at the entranced blonde.

"Yes, darling, we are," she agreed with an unconvincingly irritated huff. "Changing the subject won't work-"

"I'm not…" Elsa drew back, frowning. She shook her head and sighed, standing once more, though one hand stayed attached to Anna's stomach. As if she couldn't even imagine pulling away. "I just meant that she's a girl, our girl, and it's only proper I should be concerned about her well-being."

"So you have stooped to threatening six-year-olds for her safety?"

"No action taken for the future safety of our baby is too great or too small. And for that matter, are you _not_ concerned that Aren might take after us more than he already has? I love him, truly and deeply. I did not know I had the ability to harbor so much emotion for anyone – never mind TWO people – before I loved you, and him. But now we're going to have a little girl and… I'm so happy, and I love her so much already but… If Aren were to hurt her or force anything of her, I'm not sure WHAT I would do…" Her eyes had faded as she lost herself in her thoughts, frown marring her features. A warm hand over top of the one she'd still upon Anna's stomach, squeezing gently, brought her back to the present. Where the mother of her children was smiling at her so sweetly.

"You are a hypocrite."

"Hey!" Elsa was smiling, despite the indignant tone. "I waited for you to be ready!"

"Ah," Anna's face lit up, and she stared up at the blonde expectantly. "So what you're saying is…?"

"What… what I'm saying… is…?" Maybe she was just slow, but she wasn't really sure where Anna was going with any of this. _But as long as she wasn't trying to rip her ear off anymore…._

"What you're saying is that if he TRULY takes after us, he'll love her deeply and…?"

"And he'll… talk to paintings?"

"What you're saying is that if he TRULY take after us, he'll love her deeply and wait…"

"W-wait for…. Winter…?"

"He'll wait as long as he must for her to come to him should she return his affections?"

"Um… yes? Yes! That exactly." Anna chuckled, leaning up to press a kiss to Elsa's cheek. She moved away before Elsa could turn and taste of her lips, moving towards the doors to the study and glancing back at the playfully scowling blonde.

"Well come on! What are you waiting for dear? Our child awaits us in the gardens. And we've got but more business to attend to involving him, and you, and I."

"Oh?" Elsa followed after her, coming up behind her and wrapping an arm around her, kissing her temple fiercely. "And what would that be?"

"Well, as you can see," Anna looked down to her tummy, both hands rubbing over it affectionately. "I'm rather pregnant."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Anna rolled her eyes, reaching up to pinch a grin-stretched cheek.

"Cute."

"Aren't I just?" Anna was smiling, even as she shook her head at the blonde.

"In any case, I'm quite pregnant. And for the life of me, I haven't the faintest clue what to name my next child..." She leaned her head against the blonde's shoulder, offering the now-frozen blonde a wide smile. "I don't suppose you know two pretty, young blonde's that would be willing to help a lady out, would you?"

"You… you want my help naming the baby?"

"Well, yours and Aren, but yes." She was grinning, but Elsa still stared at her, somewhere between shock and disbelief. Anna began to grow worried. "Honey, are you well?"

"You want me to…" A twitch at her lips was shortly followed by a grin breaking through the ice of her frozen expression. "You want _my_ help?"

"You're too happy about this…" She tried to step back from the blonde, but Elsa had managed to wrap her arms around Anna and lift her from the ground, spinning her around. "ELSA! Stop I'll throw up!" Elsa set her down, after one last full spin, and it was then that Anna struck her arm, harshly. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?" Elsa pouted, rubbing at the spot – _okay, um, OOW_ – gingerly.

"What? I got excited!"

"Clearly," Anna rolled her eyes, huffing as she tried to straighten out her dress. Not that it mattered. She wasn't particularly self-conscious, and no castle staff would hold it against her for being in a state other than perfect, pregnant princess. "Don't do it again. You could hurt yourself. Or me. Or the baby." On the last, she glared at Elsa, her hands wrapping around her stomach protectively.

"Jeez, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just… Jana."

"You just Jana?"

"No! No I meant," Elsa broke off to chuckle and shake her head. "You're silly."

"And you aren't making sense." Elsa stepped closer, and though Anna tensed – _don't you DARE try anything_ , her eyes screamed, clutching still at her stomach – she allowed the blonde to stop before her. She was eying the bulge of her stomach, and slowly she sank to her knees, grasping Anna's hands with either of hers and gently prying them off. She pressed kisses all over the swell of Anna's abdomen, earning a soft smile from the red-head.

"Jana," Her eyes sparkled, grin brighter than the sun. "Aren and I have been…" she chuckled sheepishly, still smiling. "Well, we've been talking about names."

"Have you now? And what would you have done if I'd decided to name her myself?" Elsa shrugged, still smiling, still worshipping the unborn child she could feel moving under her stroking hands now.

"Nothing. As the mother, it's your right to name the child. I and he and you will love her regardless of her name or who named her."

"Well you're no fun." Elsa chuckled, standing slowly and nuzzling her nose against Anna's.

"But you love me."

"Hmm," Anna smiled lightly, moving to step around Elsa and towards the gardens once more. "Sometimes." She grinned when Elsa snorted, knew the woman to be rolling her eyes, and then the blonde was at her side, arm winding back around her waist. She let her head fall onto Elsa's shoulder, sighing. But happily. She was content. Truly and utterly. "So Jana?"

"Mhmm."

"Sounds rather close to my own name… Your creativity is failing you, dear, and it's rubbing off on Aren."

"Oh please," Elsa scoffed. "Are you really so full of yourself?"

"Hmm, no I'd have to say I'm full of you," She pat her stomach for emphasis, earning a chuckle and another roll of the eyes from the blonde. "But really, that was the best you could come up with?"

"I'm personally offended that you are so unenthusiastic about the baby _I_ am naming. Me. Myself. I'm naming her, not you." She stuck her tongue out at Anna, smiling as she continued and Anna took a turn to roll her eyes. "And perhaps, dear one, you should close your eyes and think about a beautiful, bouncing baby girl. Look at her. Feel her in your arms. Jana. It's… perfect, in its simplicity. Like she will be."

"If you say so…"

"As a matter of fact I do say so. And I'm Queen. So my word is law," she stuck her tongue out once more for good measure. "So there."

"Whatever you say, oh great and powerful one." Anna grinned at her, leaning over to press a soft kiss to her cheek. "Tell me, oh wise and knowing ruler of Arendelle, how exactly are you going to reveal your hand to the masses?"

"Well…" She was biting her lip and tapping her chin, humming lowly to herself. "I think… Perhaps it would be in my best interest to reveal that our previous rulers chose to keep it from the public. And that I thought it best to bring it to the attention of the peoples."

"Slander mother and father? I never knew you to be quite so underhanded. I like it," Anna's grin was mischievous when Elsa's surprised glance cut to her face.

"I-I would never… I mean, it is not my intention to slander them I just… I mean not to speak ill of the dead just that—" Anna stopped suddenly, and stopped her sister with a tug on the arm and a soft press of her palm over Elsa's stumbling, stuttering mouth.

"Elsa, dearest, fret not. Save your breath and bite back those apologies and allow me a moment to compose my thoughts. I'm no good at metaphors, so I'll have to put it quite bluntly…" She took a deep breath, blowing it out as she allowed her hand to fall from Elsa's lips. "It's politics, not playtime. Yes, they were our parents and we owe them that respect. Yes, they are deceased and we owe honor to the dead. And yes, by all means they were a fair and just King and Queen… But they made a mistake. And the brilliance in admitting that _they_ made a mistake is that it indebts the people to _you._ You righted the wrongs of our blood, you trusted the people so much as to tell them, you were so loyal to your family that you even waited this long to reveal it. But, indeed, you are the one revealing it. And you are much better at playing the game of politics than this."

"I should be," Elsa smiled, but it was strained. "I just… I can't stop thinking about them as of late. What they would think should they see us now. Every action I take as Queen, I find myself questioning what mother or father would have done and…"

"Elsa," She didn't look up immediately. The carpet was far less interesting, to be certain, but it demanded less from her emotionally. "Elsa, look at me." The soft demand was hard to resist. And she knew better, truly, than to resist it. Anna's eyes were soft, but her expression was hardened and serious. "The dead are dead and buried. And while it is both important and admirable to survive them, and keep them alive within our hearts and memories, it is most important to do right by them and allow ourselves to _live_. Not in fear of the phantoms of times long gone. Not with the threat of their glorious past forever looming above. We live as we should live, because we see it as the best that we are, and that we can be. Love them, but allow them to pass on peacefully. One day you'll be a great ruler. But only once you allow yourself to be the ruler that _you_ wish to be."

She was silent for a long while. Or what felt it. Just thinking. Just looking into almost-blue eyes and losing herself in the depths of them. Eventually, she smiled. Chuckling, and shaking her head she stepped closer to the woman she cherished, wrapping her in an embrace.

"When did you become so wise?"

"I've always been wise," She was smiling as she pressed a kiss to the top of Elsa's head. "You just weren't listening." Elsa drew back, expression oddly neutral.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I just got lost in my own head for a second there..."

"Oh you're _so_ funny." Anna rolled her eyes and huffed as she turned from the wickedly grinning blonde, moving back down the hallway towards the gardens, Elsa's laughter following her as she sped to catch up. "You missed your calling as a court jester."

"Really I did," Elsa nodded solemnly. "But I much prefer being Queen and… other mother to two beautiful, brilliant children."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves now. We have no idea how fine or intelligent Jana will be." Elsa was silent for a moment, if only to savor the sound of her daughter's name rolling from Anna's tongue. _She'd accepted it._ And that pleased her.

"Ahh, but you forget," Anna glanced at her, skeptical, waiting for another joke, frowning just so. "With you as her mother, she'll be absolutely perfect." They stopped just before the entryway to the gardens. And only because she'd caught Anna off-guard. The redhead grinned suddenly, leaning over to once more press a kiss to the elder blonde's cheek.

"You _are_ a wise and knowing ruler, hmm?" she chuckled at the dopey grinned aimed her way as they at last stepped into the garden. "Sometimes." For a pregnant woman, she could certainly move fast. And hide herself amongst the foliage quite easily. Anna always _had_ loved hide-and-seek. She stepped into the gardens wearing a smile; one that didn't dwindle for the remainder of the day. Not even when Aren successfully dumped a pile of snow on her head. After all, Aren loved hide-and-seek too. And Elsa didn't mind losing.

 **88888888**

 **The only thing I've really actually changed while reposting these is the ANs. So, quick one, I may or may not continue more one shots for this. Because I really love Aren and this chapter had always been my favorite. BUT in any case. Here this is. Do with it what you will.**


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